Private and corporate foundations are nonprofit organizations with specific funding goals. Schools and districts interested in securing private and corporate foundation funds should ensure that their project is aligned to the foundation's funding goals.

Most private and corporate foundations award funds within a particular state or geographic region. For instance, corporate foundations typically award funds within an area with a high concentration of employees or a strong corporate base. Private foundations award funds within an area designated by its founder or Board of Directors.To locate information about private and corporate foundation funds within your area, Scholastic's Funding Connection provides you a direct link to The Foundation Center resources.

The Foundation Center provides a comprehensive up-to-date, searchable database of private foundations on the web. In addition to this web site, The Foundation Center operates five libraries — in New York; Washington, DC; Atlanta; Cleveland; and San Francisco. Within these libraries, visitors will find foundation annual reports, periodicals in the field of philanthropy, and books about foundations and fundraising. The libraries are staffed with reference librarians to show you how to conduct funding research.